Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-02
A VISIT TO NIKKO.
PECULIARITIES IN FOOD AND
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS.
A Bridge Too Sacred to Pass Over
Some of the Monuments and
Shrines of the Place.
[REcoRD-UNIoN Correspondence

| TREcoRD-UNIoN Correspondence
NIKKo, Japan, February y, 1887.
I am at loss for words to even hall
express the wonder which has been mine
to-day-wonder and delight. The Japan
csc think that kikko expresses the views
about Mike, but the word is very I'M
satisfactory to me, though l find in Hep
burns dictionary that the meaning is
delicious, grand, splendid, beautiful, YET
with all this feel that there is poverty
no language has the word, it is unutter-
able Nikko is more than grand, its tenn
! pies, rocks and giant trees, the views Of
mountains streaked with snow, and val
leys where water glistens in ponds and
winding streams, and brown thatch-roofs
I peep from among the leatiess fruit trees
In the Alps of Austria l have seen Just
such happy-looking hamlets, and often the
scenes remind me of those about our own
+! Mount Shasta. Even with but little or
no knowledge Of the history of Japan, a
| history which has had no influence upon
US, one feels that same reverence in pass
under the gray arches, which is stirred in
| Hollywood or Westminster. With such a
grand stage, we know the tragedies which
occupied it must have been fitting. Native
and foreigner alike
BOW TO THE SPELL OF NIKKo.
Leaving Toxic at 1 P NJ, the train passes
through well-cultivated country, with
! little suggestive of the Orient save an &C.
i :,
reached about sixty-tive miles from the
Capital. Arriving just at sunset, l saw
little Of the town, but drove in kltruma
| (kuruma is much prettier and more man
| ageable word than jinriksha and is the
| Japanese term for the little carriages pulled
| by men) Immediately TO Todznki's inn, at
the farther end of an almost interminable
street. The entrance is open to the
street; the whole front of the house
yawning in a most Hospitality wide
manner, takes you right in at once.
Travellers are seated here taking off their
sandals and bathing their feet bundles
and walking sticks are in one corner, and
the sandals and my shoes lonely black
twins, are ticketed and placed in order
against the wall Passing on over the
yielding, matted floor, see about twenty
people in the bath, laughing and splashing
their native element-for japanese,
water must either be scalding hot or else
ice cold In his bath he is an extremist of
the strongest kind. Leaving the happy
crowd of travellers to be boiled together, |
pass along gallery which runs around
courtyard containing flowers, a pond and
stone vases. 1 have made the acquaint-
ance of two Japanese from the south on
their way to Nikko, and We have agreed
to go in company. As we are seated on
the floor in tailor fashion around the
bronze hibachi (fire-box), the proprietor
COMES FOR MY PASSPORT
To give to the police. No passport is given
for time more than six months, and must
state exactly where you are going and
what for. AS l am going nowhere in par
ticular, and with no particular reason, l
don't know what way was taken to obtain
it, but laws, like all things, have exceptions
to bridge them. Dinner is brought all at
one time on tray and placed beside US.
Each has MS tray and his chop sticks. In
order that you may know they have not
been used before, the two sticks are not
separated but left for you to split apart as
ocular proof of their newness. The din
ner was of eggs, raw fish, stewed meats,
mushrooms, a leek soup and rice ad libitum,
with hot sake to moisten it all. After din
ner walk, and returning, we sal drinking
sake and eating sheets of dried, green sea-
weed, which we dipped in spiced blood
and warmed over the charcoal fire, it GER
tainly was good, but hardly enough to
Justify the remarkable Shaking of lips
and sucking sounds which my friends
made use of toshow approval.
SLOW BARGAIN.
The landlord coming, bargain was
made for the katrumdS to take US TO Nikko
tomorrow. 1t took nearly an hour to close
this bargain and much complimenting was
given and taken, and salaams in which the
forehead touched the floor, and much tea
drank and many pipes smoked; the final
outcome was that paid fifty cents for be
ing carried twenty-five miles, when l had
been told that the fare was over dollar
so much for having friends at court. The
beds being ready, we, grown weary with
bargaining, retired. A bed is eight or so
thick silk wadded comforters piled upon
the floor upon this very ample wadded
coat is placed. You slip into this great coat,
put your arms into the long sleeves, fold it
over you and sleep. The pillow is
block of wood placed under the neck,
but it looks too hard and l carry rubber
pillow to take its place. A paper lantern
is lighted all night, for the people | am
told are much afraid of the dark. hope
it is not for the Biblical reason. In the
bitter cold of the early morning, with the
new moon just fading away, We wrap up
in blankets and are off in our kt17tnaS.
Cold as it is, the men wear very little cloth
ing and that of cotton; one OF them, re-
ally deformed by the enormous develop
ment of muscle in arms and legs, wears a
pair of trunks only. After the sun rises l
peep out. On both sides of the road are
tall, coniferous trees, planted close together
and often lacing their branches across the
way-imagine road bordered for twenty
miles with
A GIANT HEDGE OF REDWOOD
Or pine trees 60 to 80 feet high-the sun
shines in bars of light between them and
in the high branches a wonderful warmth
of color in following green and red-brown
make you feel like throwing off your
muffiers and calling it summer. Some
| times village is passed, and the children
run after me calling, hyinsan (for-
eigner), and making salutations.
Taverns here. as in Europe, make use of
branch or bush for sign. though the
| larger ones seem to discard it, reminding
me of our proyerb, which says: A good
tavern needs no BUSH" l can not learn
-.lollsar +b;z 10 AZ, ;,,oorIad opStopo II